The House of Representatives has asked Wale Edun, minister of finance and Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to submit a detailed report within two weeks detailing all federal government financial interventions extended to states and local governments outside the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations since 2023.
The resolution, reached during plenary on Tuesday, requires government to provide full disclosure of the nature of each intervention, the amounts disbursed, disbursement dates, recipient entities, and any conditions attached.
The Lower Chamber noted that states have received ranging interventions including but are not limited to, budget support facilities, infrastructure funds, ecological and emergency relief grants, and other discretionary or conditional support mechanisms.
Lawmakers emphasised the need for transparency in government spending and accountability in the allocation of public resources.
Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, who presided over the plenary session said while some states acknowledge receipt of federal government’s interventions, some states claim they have not received any , emphasisng the need to scrutinise the records.
The resolution was sequel to a motion, sponsored by Abdussamad Dasuki. The House expressed concerns that while these interventions are vital to addressing specific financial and developmental needs at subnational levels, the absence of a consolidated public record of these disbursements may undermine transparency, hinder effective oversight, and limit public accountability.
It, therefore, mandated its committees on Finance, Inter– Governmental Affairs, and Public Accounts to scrutinise the report upon submission and engage relevant stakeholders to ensure transparency, accountability, and value for money, and report within four weeks for further legislative action.
